In the world of animals, cats have achieved a level of fame unmatched by any other species.
They rule social media and charm millions with their quirky behaviors.
Cats have even found a place in the world of physics, thanks to Erwin Schrödinger’s famous “Schrödinger’s Cat” thought experiment.
Recently, a new study added to this feline legacy by presenting a playful yet insightful look into cat behavior from a physics perspective.
Anxo Biasi, a researcher at the Instituto Galego de Física de Altas Enerxías (IGFAE) in Spain, published this research in the American Journal of Physics, using his own cat, Eme, as inspiration.
Anxo’s paper introduces an equation that models the movement of a cat near a person. His goal was to create a fun way to explain physics concepts to a broad audience, particularly students and non-experts.
The equation he designed considers the cat as a “point particle,” which moves in response to the “potential” (or influence) created by a nearby person. This approach simplifies the complexities of classical mechanics, using a relatable example to explain how forces work.
The idea began as a playful concept for April Fool’s Day, inspired by humorous research papers. However, Anxo soon saw its potential to help students learn physics in a fun, accessible way.
“The story of a cat’s motion is filled with curiosity,” he says, “and it introduces a lot of concepts in a lighthearted way.”
Anxo used seven patterns of cat behavior, observed in his daily life with Eme, to build the model.
He hypothesized that “cats behave as if they perceive a force around people.”
By observing how cats react to humans, he developed an equation to describe their movements. For example, when a cat stays close to or avoids a person, it can be modeled as a point particle influenced by Newtonian mechanics.
The equation includes key factors like the cat’s mass (m), a friction term to represent the cat’s fatigue, and the cat’s distance from a person, who is treated as being at a fixed position. This model demonstrates how physics can explain familiar behaviors like a cat’s tendency to come close (or not!) to people or their tendency to sit on the lap of their favorite human.
In addition to general movement, the paper looks at specific cat behaviors, like purring and zoomies. Anxo suggests that a cat’s purr acts as a “stabilizing force,” creating a feedback loop: when a cat purrs, people often feel encouraged to continue petting it, which keeps the cat happy and reinforces the behavior.
The paper also tackles “zoomies”—the sudden bursts of energy cats display, often at night. In physics terms, these bursts require a bit of randomness to model them accurately. This “random force” is added to the equation to capture the unpredictable nature of these energetic episodes.
The article’s playful take on classical mechanics could be an exciting addition to introductory physics courses. By using relatable examples, Anxo aims to make complex ideas more accessible.
The cat motion model introduces physics concepts without the need for heavy abstraction, allowing beginners to understand how simple forces can explain seemingly complex behaviors.
Anxo’s work shows that physics can be fun and accessible. By exploring a cat’s quirks through the lens of science, the model offers a unique way to learn about the principles of motion and force in classical mechanics.
Source: KSR.
